US Congress Afghanistan Withdrawal USAGM
Metadata
- US Congress Afghanistan Withdrawal USAGM
- April 20, 2023
- Language English
- Transcript/Script (PLAYBOOK SLUG: US CONGRESS Afghanistan Withdrawal (TV) HEADLINE: US Lawmakers Probe Causes of Chaotic Afghanistan Withdrawal TEASER: House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul tells VOA that the Biden administration is still withholding information PUBLISHED: 04/20/23 at BYLINE: Katherine Gypson PRODUCERS: Katherine Gypson CONTRIBUTING: DATELINE: Capitol Hill VIDEOGRAPHER: Saqib Ui Islam SCRIPT EDITORS: Reifenrath, Sharon Shahid VIDEO SOURCE (S): AP, VOA PLATFORMS (mark with X): WEB __ TV _X_ RADIO __ TRT: VID APPROVED BY: TYPE: TVPKG UPDATE:)) [[NOTE: Gypson will forward all video cues to editor.]] ((TV/web intro)) [[A Biden administration review earlier this month said the chaotic August 2021 U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan was largely the result of policy decisions made by the Trump administration. VOA's congressional correspondent Katherine Gypson spoke to members of the House Foreign Affairs Committee about the next steps for oversight.]] ((Broll of US evacuation of Afghanistan)) ((Narrator)) Over a year and a half since the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, a new Biden administration report finding decisions made by former President Donald Trump set the U.S. up for failure… ((Radio track: Democratic Representative David Cicilline….)) ((Rep. David Cicilline at 2:00)) ((Rep. David Cicilline, Democrat)) “The last administration made a commitment not only to withdraw all American troops but also release thousands, tens of thousands of Afghan fighters from prison, as well as a timetable that the Biden administration inherited. [[WHITE FLASH to COVER CUT]] The president did everything he could to manage that situation.” ((Cutaways of Gypson 3/7/23 TV pkg of HFAC Afghanistan hearing then back-time Smith)) ((Narrator)) But Republican lawmakers say President Joe Biden is ultimately responsible since he was the one in charge. Representative Chris Smith tells VOA he was frustrated by the lack of responsibility…. ((Rep. Chris Smith at 4:28)) ((Rep. Chris Smith, Republican)) “I couldn't believe that the administration is defaulting to Trump. You know, he had conditionality affixed to when and if our troops would leave Afghanistan, and that is the key that is the linchpin of all of it, that there's conditionality. Biden had no conditionality, announced in advance that he wanted a 9/11 type of photo op.” c ((Cutaway of McCaul chairing a HFAC hearing then over to US evacuation of Afghanistan broll)) ((Narrator)) And House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul tells VOA the Biden administration continues to withhold internal dissenting communications from the U.S. Embassy in Kabul. ((Michael McCaul at 00:42)) ((Rep. Michael McCaul, Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman)) “Congress has the right to know the content, and that's all we asked from the Secretary was, well, you can redact the names, we'll review in a classified setting. But I want to know firsthand the content. I don't want it filtered through your people.” ((Broll of Trump and 2020 Doha meeting)) ((Narrator)) Government investigators told U.S. lawmakers this week blame could be found in both administrations — from the impact of the 2020 Doha agreement negotiated by Trump…. ((00;48;08;09 MRT HOUSE sopko doha agreement exacerbated existing problems)) ((John Sopko, Afghanistan Reconstruction Special Inspector General)) “These policy decisions dramatically degraded the morale of the Afghan security forces and compounded the Afghan military's total dependence on U.S. combat and contractor support, which left the Afghan military unable to sustain operations.” ((Broll of Afghan forces)) ((Narrator)) …. to confusion in the U.S. government under the Biden administration about the capabilities of Afghan forces …. (((01;46;19;26 MRT HOUSE sopko intelligence community agreed with our assessments)) ((John Sopko, Afghanistan Reconstruction Special Inspector General)) “I don't know who was telling the administration there were 300,000 Afghan soldiers and police toward the end. Nobody we talked to ever said that that number was near there. We had reports that half of those people were probably ghosts.” ((Back-time Shaw)) ((Narrator)) And the State Department’s planning for the evacuation… ((00;38;22;06 MRT HOUSE shaw embassy was unprepared for evacuation challenges)) ((Diana Shaw, Acting Inspector General)) “We found that embassy leadership, implementing the position taken at the time by the administration, operated under the understanding that diplomatic operations would continue in Afghanistan after the military withdrawal and did not want to engage in overt evacuation planning based on concerns that it could spark panic and undermine support for the Afghan government.” ((Broll of 8/26/21 bombing)) ((Narrator)) McCaul saying Congress will continue to probe the August 26th, 2021, suicide bombing at Kabul airport. ((Michael McCaul at 1:02)) ((Rep. Michael McCaul, Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman)) “Who was a commanding officer who denied permission to engage in suicide bombing that then resulted in the deaths of 13 servicemen and women?” ((Broll of 8/26/21 bombing)) ((Narrator)) That attack also killed 170 Afghan civilians. ((Katherine Gypson, VOA News, Capitol Hill))
- Network VOA
- Location (dateline) Capitol Hill
- Embargo Date April 20, 2023 18:36 EDT
- Byline Katherine Gypson
- Brand / Language Service Voice of America, Voice of America - English